Stocks Soar; Dow Marks Sixth Day Of Triple-Digit Swings

By Teresa Rivas

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.9% to 15,318.23, the sixth straight day that it has gained or fallen more than 100 points, and the sixth highest closing value in its history. The Nasdaq rose 0.9% as well, to 3,482.18, while the S&P 500 was up 0.8% to 1,651.79.

In addition, the Russell 2000’s 1.2% gain, to just below 1,000, set a new closing record, eking past its May 21 high.

Investors are hoping that Bernanke will provide clarity tomorrow about the central bank’s $85 billion in monthly bond purchases; some see any pullback in the program as a danger to stocks.

Housing starts and consumer price data came out this morning. Gainers included FLIR Systems (FLIR), up 6.2% on an upgrade from Raymond James and Jack in the Box (JACK), on news it is shuttering a number of its Qdoba restaurants.

La-Z-Boy (LZB) jumped 6.5% in regular trading ahead of its fourth-quarter earnings report, but was falling after hours.

About Stocks To Watch

Earnings reports, corporate strategies and analyst insights are all part of what moves stocks, and they’re all covered by the Stocks to Watch blog. We also look at macro issues, investor sentiments and hidden trends that are affecting the market. Stocks to Watch gives you the full picture of the U.S. stock markets, all day long.

The blog is written by Ben Levisohn, a former stock trader who has covered financial markets for the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and BusinessWeek.